Film tempo punch



April 2222x1941. R. c. MccLAY 2,239,532

FILM TEMPO PuNH Filed oct. 24, '195e s sheets-snaai 1 7 Q .W Y w A W md a www Wm c. im M w c d/M L m M W @u QN NN @mvo O t We QN cw mw A... bw

April 2251941 R. c. MccLAY 2,239,532

FILM TEMro- BUNCH Filed Oct. 24, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i. i101 .5I

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April 22,` 1941. R. c. MccLAY 2,239,532

v FILM maro PUNCH Filed oct. 24, 19:58 s sheets-sheet a FROM Supp/ y REEL fg! giu.

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Patented Apr. 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILM TEMPO PUNCH Royal C. McClay, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application October 24, 1938, Serial No. 236.826`

15 Claims.

a musical or sound accompaniment for a previously prepared motion picture. One of the steps described in this co-pending application is the production of impulses or beats for transmission to an orchestra or a conductor thereof to time the orchestra with the predetermined tempos which are to accompany the picture in accordance with the varying nature and action of the different sequences. To provide this tempo, a marked or punched illm sound track is run through a sound reproducer and the impulses transmitted to the orchestra or conductor.

The present invention is directed to the apparatus for punching or marking the iilm in accordance with the prearranged tempo which is to be imparted to the musicians. The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to produce a series of impulses or plurality of series of impulses in accordance with the tempo of a prearranged musical score.

Another object of the invention is to punch or mark a motion picture lm quickly and accurately, which, when run through a sound reproducer, will produce impulses in accordance` with a certain tempo.

Another object vof the invention is to provide a illm marking device which can be readily changed or adjusted to provide marks on the film at periodic intervals over different portions thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a series of marks on the sound track portion of a motion picture illm to represent beats in accordance with a previously arranged musical' score. provision being made for editing the picture film itself simultaneously with the marking and to provide counters or markers for indicating the number of marks and length of illm being marked.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims appended herewith, the manner of its organization and the mode of its operation will be better understood by referring to the following description claimed a method of and means for obtaining read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the punch portion of the apparatus of the invention;

l Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view o1.' the iilm advancing portion'of the invention taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figure -i is a rear elevational view o1' the drive portion of the apparatus;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the intermittent driveoiI the invention taken along the line 6--5 of Fig. 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the pressure plate for the punch of the invention taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Figure 'l is a sectional view of the locking arrangement taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 1;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the punch rod of the invention; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view showing the clutch release mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings. in which like numerals identify the same elements, the apparatus is mounted on an I beam base having a vertical web 5, a lower horizontal flange 6 and an upper horizontal ilange 1, upon the latter of 4which is mounted a centrally disposed standard 9 carrying illm advancing sprockets i0 and Il (see Fig. 3), ratchet wheels i2 and il and a pinion gear I3. Also mounted on flange 1 is an end standard I6 for supporting a pair Aozi coaxialiy mounted supply reels, one of which is shown in Fig. 1 at I1. On a similar standard i9 is a pair of co-axially mounted takeup reels, one of which is shown at 20. On a fourth vstandard 22 is mounted a chain sprocket wheel 23 and a calibrated crank member 2t. Two other standards 26 and 21 are shown on flange 1 positioned on either side of central standard 9 for supporting and guiding the endsof a gear rack 26. Supported by standards 26 and 21 and mounted parallel with rack 28 are two rods 30 and 3i for the purpose of guiding a crosshead 32 connected by a connecting rod 33 to crank 24. The crosshead 32 is riveted or bolted to the rack 28 so that rotation of the crank 24 imparts oscillatory linear motion to the rack 28.

Power is supplied to the crank 24 by a chain 35 on sprocket Wheel 23 driven from a sprocket 38 on a shaft 31. The shaft 31 is driven by chain 38 connected to a sprocket 39 on a reduction gear box 40. The reduction gear box is connected to a motor 42 under control of a switch t3.

The takeup reels at 20 are driven from the same motor 42, a chain 44 being connected between sprockets 45 on the shaft 31 and a reel sprocket 46. For rewind purposes a motor 41 is provided and connected to the supply reels at I1 through a chain 48.

From the above, it is seen that energization of the motor 42 will rotate crank 24 and thus slide rack 28 back and forth on standards 26 and 21, while rotating the takeup reels. The operation of the rack, of course, advances the film intermittently, as will now be explainedby referring to Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As shown in Fig. 3, the pinion gear I3 meshes with the teeth of rack 28 and is thereby rotated in opposite directions as the rack slides back and forth. In Fig. is shown the ratchet wheel I2 with a cooperating pawl 50, the pawl being mounted on an arm 58 flxedly attached to a shaft 52 by a set screw. The ratchet Wheel l2 is integral or ilxedly attached to rotate with the pinion I3. Both ratchet l2 and gear i3 rotate freely on shaft 52. Fixedly attached to shaft 52, however, are film advancing sprockets I0 and and ratchet wheel I4 by pins 54, 55and 55, respectively. Thus, when the rack 28 moves to the right in Figs. i and 5, the pinion i3 and ratchet wheel l2 will be rotated in an anticlockwise direction, as shown b\,y the arrow in. Fig. 5. Moving the ratchet I2 in this direction rotates the pawl 58 and arm 58, thus rotating the shaft 52 and the sprockets i0 and II to advance film 5i on sprocketi, and nlm 53 on sprocket II to the left. The film'5I is the film being punched and which has the sound track portion thereof made opaque while illm 53 is the picture lm for which the tempo track is being made.

Now continuing the natchet operation, when the rack 28 is moved 'to the left, the pinion I3 and ratchet wheel l2 are rotated in a ciockwise direction. This direction of rotation, however, does not impart any motion to arm 58 or shaft 52 because the pawl 50 slips over the teeth of the ratchet I2. To prevent any tightness of the pawl and ratchet mechanism from imparting any reverse motion to the shaft 52, however, a locking arrangement has been provided, as shown in Fig. 4, which comprises the ratchet wheel I4 and a cooperating pawl 80 mounted on standard 9 under tension of a spring 6|.

Since Fig. 4 is a viewing top 18 on which the lrn 53 may be held by hand during stationary periods thereof, as shown by the dotted lines 18 in Fig. 4.

As stated above, the films are advanced intermittently a certain distance depending upon the amount of rotation of sprockets l0 and II. The amount of rotation given to the sprockets, however, is dependent upon the position of the lefthand end of connecting rod 33 on the crank 24. To Vary this position, the crank 24 is provided with a central groove or slit 19, along which the wrist pin 80 may be adjusted on a slidable block 84. The marks 8| shown on 'the crank represent corrugations, the crank being correspondingly marked along the edge thereof in frames and feet of nlm. The block 84 is locked in position in the groove by a nut on fthe wrist pin 80. For fine verner adjustments of the film advance, a screw 83 slides the wrist pin 80 on a dovetailed slide mounted in the block 84. Thus, any length of advance of the :iilm may be. obtained Within the capacity of the machine by adjustment of the connecting rod 33 on .the crank 24 in accordance with the preselected tempo and the standard speed of advancement of the lm through a reproducing machine, normally 90 ft. per minute. Thus, if there are sixty beats per minute required there should be sixty punches in 90 ft. of film. 'llo produce this result fthe connecting rod 33 is positioned on crank 24 so as to advance the fllm 5| a distance of 11/2 ft. for each revolution of the crank 24, since the film is punched once per revolution, las will now be described.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 8, a vertical lever 86, rotatably mounted on a pin 81, is adapted to be contacted at its lower end by the head of a screw 88 (see Fig. 3) threaded into the rack 28. 'I'his screw causes the lever 8B to take three positions during one revolution of crank 24, fthe outer positions being shown by dotted lines 90 and 9| in Fig. v2. The pin 81 is attached 'to a bell crank 92 mounted on a shaft 93 carrying a rear view of the apparatus, it will be noted that when the rack is moved to the right in Fig. 4, which corresponds Ito a left movement in Fig. 1, tending to advance the iilm backwardly, the pawl will lock the shaft 52 through the ratchet wheel I4 which is iixedly attached yto shaft 52. Thus, as the crank -24 is revolved, intermittent rotation is impantedto sprockets I0 and il, and the films 5| and 53 are correspondingly advanced from the supply to the takeup reels. The ratchet I4 usually has twice as many teeth or notches as ratchet I2 in order to obtain a more accurate stop. To count the `number of feet of film advanced by the sprockets l0 and II, bevel gears 53 and 84 connect shaft 52 to a footage counter having a thumb adjustment H9 (see Fig. 2).

To maintain a tension in the film 5| being punched, there are mounted on either side of sprocket I0 idler rollers 61 and 68 on arms 459 and 10, respectively, under tension .of springs 1| and 12, the arms being mounted on standards 2G and For viewing the Apictures onthe picture film 53 to check changeover points, etc., a light box 14 is provided, the lamp of'which is under control of a switch 15. The box 14 has a ground-glass disc 94. at 95 contacting the top of a punch rod 96 held out lof punching position by spring 91. The end 98 of the punch 96 is elongated and has the form of a screw-driver tip 98 and, therefore, punches a slit as shown at 98' (see Fig. 8), a guide pin 99 maintaining the punch in position with respect to the opaque sound track portion |00 of the film 5|. Operation of the punch downwardly, therefore, punches along narrow slit in the sound track portion of the lm, the passage of which through a light beam of a sound reproducer at ft. per minute will produce an impulse or click.

'I'he punch 96 is within a housing 0| which also encloses a pressure or gate pad |02 which may be open or closed by a handle`l03 operarting a. cam |04 on a. shaft |05 which carries the pad supporting rods |08 and |01 (see Fig. 6.) Springs |08 and |09 maintain the desired pressure on the film 5I intermittently pulled through the punch by sprocket I0 so that the film stops immediately when the sprocket I0 stops rotating.

' Pilot pins for holding the nlm during punching may also be provided'. The plate |02 also serves as a filmV stripper for the punch 96.

The punchis operated when the lever 86 is moved to the left in Fig. 2 or at the time the film is stationary. The lever 86 operates the bell crank 92A when moved in this direction since, although rotatable on pin 81, when notated to the left it "contacts a pin Iliattached to crank 92. However, when lever 86 is moved to the right, it pivots about pin 81 and there is no The other end of the bell crank is shown be adjusted and set by means of la thumb-nut ||1 (see Fig. 4).

The film is threaded on the sprocket and maintained in contact therewith by pad rollers |2| and |22 which are released for threading purposes by means of a cam |23 operated by a handle |24. The film 53 is also held on the` spnocket by means of a similar pad roller j assembly |26.

It often occurs that during the punching process or after a certain number of punches have been made to provide a certain tempo, it becomes necessary to stop the machine and adjust the crank 24 or inspect the picture and punches. At these times the machine may be locked against movement by means of a lever |33 (see Fig. 1) which turns a disc |3| (see Fig '1). The disc |3| is actually the head of a screw |32 which passes through one portion of the standard 21 and is threaded in a movable guide portion thereof |33. Thus, turning of the screw |32 will tighten the rack 23 in its groove on standard 21 and lock the apparatus. To prevent an attempt to actuate the apparatus when the rack 23 is locked, a linkage system comprising a rod |35 connected to the disc |3| and to a bell crank |33 operates a forked element |31 connected to a rod |33. 'Ihe fork of the element |33 slides over a clutch shaft |39 which must be pushed rearwardly to connect the motor with the driving gears. With the yoke member |31 in its left-hand position, the clutch cannot be operated to transmit power from the motor to the mechanism. Furthermore, should the clutch be in engagement when the rack 23 is locked, the movement of the fork member |31 to the left will release the clutch since it wedges between a collar |33 on the clutch shaft |33 and a fixed member |40 thus disengaging a clutch |4| through a connecting member |42 (see Fig. 9).

From the above description read in connection with the drawings, it will be noted that a tempo punch is provided which will simultaneously progress a pair of films intermittently from supply reels to take up reels a given amount each period of movement; punch one of the films at desired intervals; count the punches and measure the film footage punched, and which may be adjusted to provide any distance desired between punches. The device also provides an editing or observation medium for the picture nlm being simultaneously progressed through the apparatus and a safety feature for preventing damage to the apparatus or j any movement thereof during stoppage. It is to be understood that film 5| may be punched without using the picture film. That is, the punch will function when only the film to be punched is used.

Thus, from a previously prepared chart of the different tempos required for the sequences of a motion picture, a tempo track may be quickly and easily prepared to accompany the entire picture during the rendition of a musical and sound score.

I claim as my invention:

l. In combination, a plurality of film rocels, one r of said reels supplying film to anotherof said reels, means for intermittently advancing said lm from one of said reels to the other of said reels, means for punching said film during the stationary periods of advancement thereof, said intermittent advancing means for said film including a rack, means for oscillating said rack,

Amovement of said rack in one direction advancing said film, and means actuated by said rack when said rack moves in the other direction for operating said punching means.

2. In combination, a sprocket adapted to 'ad vance a film thereover, a gear adapted to rotate said sprocket in one direction only, a rack adapted to rotate said gear in two directions, a rotating crank for imparting oscillatory motion to said rack, means for rotating said crank, and means operated by said rack during one direction of movement thereof for punching said film.

3, A combination inaccordance with claim 2 in which a connecting rod is provided for connecting said rack with said crank, the end of said connecting rod being adjustable on said crank to vary the amount of oscillatory motion imparted to said rack. l 4. In combination, a sprocket adapted to advance a film thereover, a gear adapted to rotate said sprocket in one direction only, a rack adapted to rotate said gear in two directions, a rotating crank for imparting oscillatory motion to said rack, means for rotating said crank, and a punch for punching said film during stationary periods thereof after advancement by said sprocket, said punch being operated by said rack.

5. A device for making a periodic series of punches in a lm comprising a film sprocket ymounted on a shaft, a gear'rotatable on said shaft and adapted to be rotated in two directions intermittently, means for vconnecting said gear to said sprocket during one direction of rotation of said gear, means for intermittently rotating said gear, said means being adjustable to vary the amount of rotation of said gear in each direction, and means operated by said last-mentioned means for punching said film and counting said film punches during rotation of said gear in the other direction.

6. A device for making a periodic series of punches in a film comprising a plurality of film sprockets mounted on a common shaft, a gear rotatable on said shaft and adapted to be rotated in two directions, means for connecting said gear to said sprockets during one direction of rotation of said gear, means for viewing a film during the stationary period thereof, means for vimparting oscillatory motion to said gear, said means being adjustable for varying the amount of rotation of said gear in each direction, means for punching said film during rotation of said gear in one direction, and means for counting the punches made in said film and for indicating the numberv of feet of said film which has been punched.

7. A film punching apparatus comprising a base, means on said base for supporting a rack, means on said base for imparting an oscillatory motion to said rack, a gear meshing with said rack and adapted to be rotated in two directions during oscillations of said rack, a shaft for said gear, a sprocket for advancing film and fixedly mounted on said shaft, ratchet means interposed bctween said gear and said sprocket for connecting said gear to said sprocket when said ratchet is moved in one direction and said gear is rotated in one of said directions, to advance said film ratchet means for maintaining said shaft stationary when said gear is rotated in the other of said directions, punching means, film punch counting means, and means for actuating said punching and counting means when said rack is moved in the other direction.

. 8. A film punching apparatus comprising a sprocket fixedly mounted on a shaft, a gear rotatably mounted on said shaft, a rack meshed with said gear, a rotatable crank, a connecting rod interconnecting said crank with said rack for imparting oscillatory motion thereto, means interconnecting said gear and said sprocket during rotation of said gear in one direction, means on said crank for varying the amount of oscillation of said rack during rotation of said crank, and a punch mechanism actuated by said rack when moved in one certain direction.

9. A film tempo punch comprising a film sprocket, means for feeding to and taking a lm from said sprocket, means for intermittently rotating said sprocket' in one direction, means having oscillatory linear motion, means for intermittently interconnecting said last-mentioned means with saidv sprocket, a lm gate adjacent said sprocket through which film is pulled by said sprocket, a pressure pad adapted to maintain said film under tension between said sprocket and said gate, a punch element passing through said pressure pad, and means interconnecting said punch element and said oscillatory means andfadapted to actuate said punch element during movement of said oscillatory means in one direction.

10. A iilm tempo punch comprising a film advancing sprocket, a film punch adjacent said sprocket through which said lm is pulled by said sprocket, oscillatory means having rectilinear motion, means for interconnecting said sprocket With said last-mentioned means, said interconnecting means adapted to impart rotary motion to said sprocket in one direction only, a crank, means interconnecting said crank with said oscillatory means for movement thereof, means interconnecting said last-mentioned means and said crank for varying the amount of rectilinear motion imparted to said oscillatory means for advancing varied amounts of nlm through said lrn punch, and means interconnecting said oscillatory means with said film punch for actuation thereof when said oscillatory means is moved in one direction.

l1. A film tempo punch comprising a sprocket,

lmeans for intermittently rotating said sprocket in the same direction, a punch mechanism adjacent said sprocket for punching predetermined tempo indications in a selected portion of said nlm, and means for varying the amounts of rotation between a series of intermittent rotations of said sprocket to provide indications of a cer tain tempo over a certain predetermined length of said nlm determined by the number of rotations in a series of rotations of said sprocket, and indications of a different tempo over another predetermined length of said lm determined by the number of rotations in another series of rotations of said sprocket.

12. A nlm tempo punch comprising a sprocket, means for supplying a film to said sprocket, means intermediate said supply means and said sprocket for producing predetermined tempo indications in a selected portion of said lm,`means for intermittently rotating said sprocket the same amount for each of a series of rotations and in the same direction to advance said nlm intermittently through said last-mentioned means for producing indications of one tempo along a predetermined length of said film, and for rotating said sprocket the same amount for each rotation but a different amount from that of each rotation of said iirst series of rotations for producing indications of another tempo along a subsequent predetermined length of said film.

13. A device for making a periodic series of punches in a film comprising a film sprocket, a gear on said sprocket adapted to be reversed in rotation intermittently, means for connecting said gear to said sprocket during one direction of rotation of said gear to advance said lm, means for punching said film during rotation of said gear in the other direction when said nlm is stationary, and means for varying the amount of r0- tation of said gear, means for indicating the number of feet of lm advanced by said sprocket, and means for indicating the number of punches punched in the film.

14. A iilm punching apparatus comprising a plurality of sprockets, each of said sprockets being adapted to advance a film, means for intermittently rotating said sprockets and advancing both of said films simultaneously, means for punching one of said films, and means for viewing the other of said films, the punching of said one film and the viewing of said other lm being simultaneous and intermittent with the simultaneous advancement of both of said films.

15. A film punching apparatus in accordance with claim 14 in which means are provided for counting the nlm punches made in said one film, said counting means being actuated simultaneously with the punching of said one nlm.

ROYAL C. MCCLAY. 

